The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) warned that peace talks with the government could collapse if the Colombian government was working to achieve the complete surrender of Farc militants without addressing the root causes of the conflict, reports The Guardian.
“They want peace for free, but that’s not going to happen. We are committed to peace and we’ve shown that through many gestures, including three unilateral ceasefires. We’re not looking for revolution at the negotiating table, but peace and social justice. We are a response to conflict, not its cause,” said a senior Farc negotiator.
“A pantomime of peace won’t address the roots of the conflict. We will not be the ones that break the talks. But they’re playing with fire when they try to eliminate our leaders with bombings. That could make us leave the table, because it would be clear they have no political will to reach agreement. It’s not as simple as we hand in our arms and we can enter politics – because they will kill us,” said Marco Leaon Calarca.
The Colombian military has been fighting the Farc militants in rebel areas throughout the peace process. The 50 year long conflict in Colombia has claimed roughly 250,000 lives and displaced 5 million people.
“They want peace for free, but that’s not going to happen. We are committed to peace and we’ve shown that through many gestures, including three unilateral ceasefires. We’re not looking for revolution at the negotiating table, but peace and social justice. We are a response to conflict, not its cause,” said a senior Farc negotiator.
“A pantomime of peace won’t address the roots of the conflict. We will not be the ones that break the talks. But they’re playing with fire when they try to eliminate our leaders with bombings. That could make us leave the table, because it would be clear they have no political will to reach agreement. It’s not as simple as we hand in our arms and we can enter politics – because they will kill us,” said Marco Leaon Calarca.
The Colombian military has been fighting the Farc militants in rebel areas throughout the peace process. The 50 year long conflict in Colombia has claimed roughly 250,000 lives and displaced 5 million people.